Stirling Falls is 146 meters (505 feet) high, it’s dwarfed by the Elephant mountain at 1517 meters. In the bottom left corner is one of the tour boats, that stands 3 stories high above the water.

The mean annual rainfall is 6,813 mm (268 in) on 182 days a year. Milford Sound is known as the wettest inhabited place in New Zealand and one of the wettest in the world. Rainfall can reach 250 mm (10 in) during a span of 24 hours. The rainfall creates dozens of temporary waterfalls, but only two permanent waterfalls, this is one of them.

Lake Selfe, Canterbury, South Island, New Zealand.

A lot of my New Zealand images are available through the stock library photonewzealand.

If you require images for stock purposes that are not in the library, please use the contact link in the top right hand corner.

Lake Tarawera Landscapes Slideshow

New Zealand Landscapes Slideshow

All photos on this site are the copyright of Michael Treloar.

Michael is a professional photographer from Rotorua, New Zealand, he is currently living back in Minnesota after spending 2 years on the island of Maui, Hawaii, USA. In the last 16 years he has become a specialist in Landscape photography. Loving his work he has traveled extensively through out New Zealand and counts himself lucky to have seen some of the world. Included in his gallery are photographs from New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, The Cook Islands, England, Scotland, USA and Cambodia.

Break on Through

Blue Lake walk, Rotorua, North Island, New Zealand.

One of the first days of winter on a cold still morning, the valleys were full of fog. By 9am the fog was still there, but it was bound to clear soon. I went for a drive up the road and stopped at the Blue lake.

Once I’d started walking into the bush I could see the sun trying to break through. I spent the next hour or so wondering around trying to find the perfect shot. By the time I got back to the car the fog had cleared and it was a beautiful day with not a cloud in the sky. Such a beautiful morning.

Autumn in Minnesota is like nothing I have experienced before. Fall colors stretch as far as the eye can see, red orange and yellow leaves every where.

What a brilliant morning this turned out to be. The rising sun hit the beach and intensified the autumn colors in the trees. And to top it off, red rocks !

Ice Caves

Apostle Islands, Lake Superior, Wisconsin, USA.

These beautiful caves are usually only accessible by boat. But this winter it was absolutely freezing thanks to three polar vortex’s that froze 80% of lake Superior. The ice caves had not been accessible since winter of 2009.

Its a strange feeling standing on a frozen lake. Every now and then you can hear the ice moving, it creeks, cracks, and knocks.

Ice Flow II

Lake Superior, Minnesota, USA.

Sunset.

This is the frozen shoreline of Lake Superior. The ice gets forced against shore, it buckles and cracks. I'd never seen anything like this before, it was as if I was on an Arctic expedition. This year 92 percent of the lake was covered with ice, thanks to a series of polar vortexes that brought snow then blue skies and subzero temperatures.

Silversword Family

Haleakala National Park, Maui, Hawaii, USA.

Sunset.

The Haleakalā silversword plant is found on the island of Maui at elevations above 2,100 metres (6,900 ft), this family was photographed at about 9,500ft.

It has numerous sword-like succulent leaves covered with silver hairs. The skin and hairs are strong enough to resist high winds and freezing temperature of this altitude and protect the plant from dehydration and the sun.

Highway to Hana

Hana Bay, Maui, Hawaii, USA.

Sunset

Hana is located at the eastern end of Maui and is one of the most isolated communities in the state. It is reached mainly via the Hana Highway, a long, winding, 52-mile-long (84 km) highway along Maui’s northern shore. The journey here is a spectacular one, passing numerous waterfalls. It can take 2 hours, or 3-5 hours depending how much you stop.

Pipiwai Trail - Maui

Haleakala National Park, Maui, Hawaii, USA.

Bamboo forest on the Pipiwai Trail, The Trail, above the Oheo Gulch (Seven Sacred Pools), is one of the best hikes on Maui. Easy access to the trail makes it busier as people driving the road to Hana start arriving.

I started on the trail at 5:30am to miss the crowds and find some good light.

I had scouted out this area the evening before and saw some great possibilities for a sunrise shot. The shore has a lot of giant tree stumps and that mountain is just asking to have its photo taken.

The forecast for the morning was anyones guess, I asked some locals who told me could be raining or not, thanks. Turns out it was raining in the morning but still I really wanted a shot. The rain was blowing over the lake in patches. In-between running for the trees and back to the shore I managed to get a few shots in. I wish I’d brought an umbrella.

Finding Aloha - Maui

Maui, Hawaii, USA

Aloha is much more than hello or goodbye, its meaning goes beyond any definition. The word Aloha holds within itself all one needs to know to interact rightfully in the natural world. It is part of the world and you are a part of it.

Aloha

Secret Beach - Kauai

Kauapea Beach (Secret Beach), Kauai, Hawaii. Sunrise

It was raining on and off by the time we'd reached the beach. Not quite the morning I was hoping for, but still managed to get one or two good shots.

When its raining you never know what you might get.

Waiting for the Glow- Kauai

Sunset at Salt Pond Beach, Kauai, Hawaii

I found this beach via google maps, searching the coastline, trying to find a nice rocky outcrop. This place looked perfect from above, a reef just off the beach with waves rolling over it.

The sunset wasn’t as dramatic as I hoped, the sun sinks fast around here. But after the sun was down for 15mins and most people had left, it started to glow.

Salt Pond is named for the wetlands where salt forms naturally, the Hawaiians still use it to produce salt used for cooking and medicinal purposes